Cable railway



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. R. vGORNALL.

CABLE RAILWAY.

No. 325,205. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

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I(No Model.) 2 Sheets-sheet 2. Pw GORNALL.

CABLE RAILWAY.

Patented Aug. 25, 1885..

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

RICHARD GORNALL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CABLE RAILWAY.

C'CATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,205, dated August 25, 1895.

Application filed March 3, 1884. Renewed July 28, 1885. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD GonNALL, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cable Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to cable railways, and is, for the greater part, applicable to railways of that class in which the cable is located underneath the cars. It is shown in connection with the strap or band cable which has been heretofore described in an application led in the United States Patent Office by me on the 5th day of July, 188i, Serial No. 100,024.

The invention consists of improved mechanism for gripping the cable, improved mechanism for connecting the car to the gripping devices, a brake mechanism connected therewith, means for causing the gripping devices to pass another cable ofa crossing track, and an improvement in the band or cable itself.

The invention as embodied by me is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section through ear and track, showing the clutch and connecting devices in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a like section showing a crossing. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show details on an enlarged scale, and as hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a section of part of the band or cable on line x x, Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the band without the lugs.

The car is of ordinary form, and runs on ordinary surface rails, or on the rails of an ordinary elevated road, to which the invention is applicable, as well as to surface roads. The band A, which performs the office of a cable and may be properly so called, runs on edge between supporting-rollers, and is in construction, arrangement, and operation,with a single exceptiomhereinafter noted, the same as in the aforesaid application. It is slightly below the rails B, and runs continually in any suitable channel, tube, or way. This should be open,as usual in this class of traction-ways, to receive the gripping device, which is shown at D. It consists of a fiat bar, a, having spring-j aws .fr x, adapted to pass over the edge ofthe band-cables. The upper end is securely bolted in the forked end ofthe traction-bar C. Within the forks slide the side bars, b b, of a compression or clamping frame. These side bars are forked below, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, andthe forked ends are connected by bars c c, which are beveled to fit and wedge down upon and clamp thejaws ofthe grippingbar c. In the cross-bar 6, which connects the upper ends of the side bars, b b, is set a pin, 7, which projects into a slot in a bellcrank lever, g, pivoted at 71I on the tractionbar C. rIhe lower end of this bell-crank lever is connected to a rod, k, by means of which the clamp is worked. Obviously, when the rod k is drawn forward, the clamp will be forced down upon the gripping-jaws and cause them to grip the edge of the band, reverse movement releasing the same. The tractionbar O is pivoted to a swivel, n, in the end of a shaft, F, which has its bearings in the platform-guard. On the upper end of this shaft are pivoted the two levers a and o. The lever a is connected by rod m to bell-crank leverl on bar c, the other end of said bell-crank being connected to rod k, so that downward movement of the lever a will cause the grip to take hold of the cable, and upward movement will release the same. The lever n is also connected to rod u, which extends to bar G, and is attached thereto by a bolt passing through a slot in said bar. This permits downward movement of the lever u sufficient to apply the gripping device, but allows the lever to be raised and to lift the bar C. The lever o has a handle, p', pivoted at 17, so that it may be swung, away from the handle p of lever n, or be laid close beside this handle. Then both maybe grasped together, or one separately. The lever 0 is connected to the horizontal arm 8 of thebell-crank lever 3 by rod t, and thence by rod r connection is made to arm q of shaft which carries brakes F. Lifting of lever o releases the brakes, and both levers being grasped and lifted at the same time, the grip is loosened and the brakes applied. Further raising of lever n will cause the rod u to lift upon the bar C, and a catch, g, on rod c springs over edge of platform and retains the bar with grip elevated clear of the cable, and which may be necessary in passing an obstacle.

In order to pass the cable of an intersecting line, I have provided automatic devices. In Fig. 2, L L represent the rails of a line IOO crossing the rails B, and A is the band-cable. Suitably supported over the cable A, and in parallel vertical planes therewith, are guidebars. There are four sets, of which only two are shown, those being two sets on each side of the cable, one inclinin g each Way. The bars l1 are over the bars l0, and the space between is suflieient to receive the pins d and e ct the gripping device. The ends of bars are bent, as shown at 12, to enlarge the opening and receive the pins, which, when the grip is on, are farthest apart. When the pins are brought together by the narrowing of the passage between the bars l0 and l1, the clamp ing-frame is lifted and the spring-jaws released. At the same time the whole gripping apparatus with its bar is raised, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to pass over the intersecting cable A', and it is gradually curved down on the other side by the set ot bars inclined in the opposite direction. The sets ot' bars, as shown in Fig. 2, are separated by a space, Z, which permits the gripping mechanism ofthe intersecting road to pass. The gripper l) is carried over this by means ot' its lower end riding upon the cable A.

The cable is formed of the steel band, the lower edge of which is cut with rectangular holes 2 2. lnto these are inserted blocks H, having echeloned parts l l and connectingpieces 14, in width equal to thickness of the band, and in length the equal to length of the hole, or a little less, to allow the piece to be inserted. After insertion it is upset slightly at 3 3 to hold it in place; but as the bearing on the cogs ofthe driver-wheel is at 4, the

strain tends to force the piece into place. The lugs l5 run in grooves ofthe pulleys, by means of which the cable is supported.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the gripper D, bar C, swiveled to the iront of the car-rod lo, bellrank levers g l, and a rod connecting the bellcrank lever l to the end lever, substantially as described. Y

2. The combination of the gripper D, the draft-bar C, the mechanism for operatic g the gripper connected to the levern, and a rod, u, connecting the levers to the bar C, whereby the bar may be lifted and the gripper is released, substantially as described.

3. Thecombination, with the levers n o, with the rod t, connecting lever o with the brake mechanism, and with a rod connecting the lever n, of the grippingmechanism, the levers n ando being placed side by side, whereby the glipper may be released and the brake applied, substantially as described.

et. The combination,with the gripping mechanism provided with pins or rollers e 1., of the incline bars l() and l1, adapted to the intersecting cable A, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with'the band-cableA, of the block H, constructed and applied to the band substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD GORNALL.

Witnesses:

MURRAY HANsoN, WILLIAM H. BERRY. 

